Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Honestly, I wish I could just hibernate through it sometimes. Starting to get cold around here in the venings and of course dark only 2 hours after I get off work. One of these days when kids are grown and gone and I get to retire I will move to southern California and get away from this weather.

Until then I guess I will keep plugging away at things and keep bitching about it.

Now that my house has all new carpet, hardwood flooring and new furniture it is time to get back on to my toys.

I did manage to get the shop cleaned back up and began working on the Kong Project again. I had cut the neck to rake it out to accept the +8 forks I had picked up from Landman over at So'Full Garage. Now I had to weld it back solid and put in some gussets. I got one side done and will hopefully have the other side done soon.

I picked up a DOHC swingarm from a 1979 model off of Mynameismudd on TCU and HC.com. I also got a local to bend some 1" DOM for me so I can get the seat post rails back into place. So Once this neck area is done it will be time to get the rest of the frame back together.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

I decided after work last night to stop into my local Super Walmart to pick up a new wireless keyboard and a surge protector... Now, I never go to big stores. If I cannot buy it at the local farm supply store, hardware store, auto parts store or gas station then I buy online.

I suddenly remembered why I never go to that place...lol

It took me 15 minutes to find where I needed to be for the stuff cause I never know where anything is. Then I get it and decide to stop and check out that camera I have been wanting. I pick the camera up and an ear piercing alarm starts going off. Loud as hell and many employees looking at me as I stand there continuing to check it out but not a single one moving to silence this annoying ass alarm. Finally some guy walks out as I walk away to shut it off and I mention it is annoying and he says "Yep!" with a facial expression like it was all my fault for looking at something to buy.

I then go up to pay at one of the only 2 checkouts open (45 closed ones) and my friggin bank check card would not scan, lady scans it 3-4 times and says I will have to pay some other way. I tell her to see if she can round up a manager to hand enter it. She says they cannot do this and I proceed to tell her they can and have before so please call a manager. Finally a kid shows up and I tell him and he does it just as the last time when this happened.

Then I go to leave and the damn security thing goes off at the door and some 16 year old punk kid comes running over like he was gonna tackle me (Now, I remind you I am 6'1" and 300 lbs, this kid is about 5'5" and 90 lbs soaking wet... Yeah, tackle me...lmao). I stop him and tell him he better slow down. He asks to see my receipt, takes stuff up to register, runs over magnet and I walk out finally...

We've had so many emails asking why bikers wear black that I thought the question deserved a detailed explanation and here it is.

The vast majority of the population at large imagines that Bikers and other so-called 'undesirables' and 'social misfits' usually wear black attire to make some kind of social statement. Many think that the adoption of a black wardrobe is done to reflect the horror of Hitler's infamous Schutzstaffel, the SS, who wore black uniforms with lightening bolts and skulls as the units hallmark Others think that black clothes are deliberately adopted to make one look tough, sinister or satanic. Where conventional straight society sees white shirts as a sign of success it is supposed that the 'underclass' adopts black in opposition just to be different.

Well it may surprise many, including a lot of bikers, to learn that the adoption of black clothing goes way back in time and has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with social statements. It was just an adaptation to environmental conditions. People whose trade involved working with 'dirty' machinery wore black (or dark) clothing to hide dirt and grease.

The common term 'blacksmith' referred to a smithy, one who works with metals, and 'black', specifically meaning iron. It was the common practice for smithy's to wear dark clothing to hide the soot, slag and grease deposited on their clothes over the course of their everyday work.

Nothing has changed much over time and even today it is quite common for metal workers to wear dark work clothes such as the dark blue and sometimes black worn by maintenance workers in industrial plants.

As the matter of dark clothing relates to bikers who don't do any metal work the practice of dressing 'darkly' was popularized because old motorcycles were notoriously 'dirty' machines slinging oil and grease in all directions when they were ridden so light colored dusters were definitely not the thing to wear on one's bike. In addition it was not uncommon for those who rode motorbikes to be campers and if you've ever spent any extended time camping out you'll no doubt understand that white 'undies' or 'outies' aren't the ideal thing to be wearing for days on end.

Dark clothes are simply a matter of practicality when one works on or operates machinery that generates a lot of oily dirt. It's as simple as that. There is no social statement being made and there never has been except in the minds of those who believe wearing black means something special, which it doesn't.

The Hollywood crowd however loves the black Tee-shirts with all of the anti-social chopper logos printed on the back side and black leather chaps are just the rage these days but I'm personally suspicious of folks wearing black 'outers' with white 'inners' if you know what I mean.